In addition to her time teaching, Ms. Tran Thi Hien Triet - Secretary of the Youth Union, lecturer of the Faculty of Economics, Southern College of Mechanical Engineering and Agriculture (Can Tho City) is still working hard with small grains of rice to create unique works of art, both to increase income and to serve as a bridge to inspire younger generations to start businesses.
Born into a family with an artistic tradition, her mother is a calligraphy artist, Ms. Triet was soon nurtured a love for beauty and handicraft. In 2014, from the idea of combining her mother's calligraphy with rice grains - the rustic symbol of her hometown, she began to learn and learn how to make rice paintings by herself.
Initially, it was just simple works, she persistently practiced to gradually improve her technique. After many years of tireless work, she has painted sophisticated rice paintings, with diverse themes from the countryside landscape, calligraphy, to typical cultural symbols of Tay Do such as Can Tho Bridge, walking street, Hung Vuong Temple...
I want to use my hometowns rice grains to tell cultural stories, bringing the image of Can Tho closer to domestic and foreign friends, Ms. Triet shared.
Not only stopping at her personal passion, Ms. Triet soon thought about starting a business from this rice painting line. Her products are gradually being welcomed by domestic and foreign customers. In order to meet diverse tastes, she continues to improve products such as: digital rice paintings, colored rice paintings, and at the same time bringing products to e-commerce platforms to reach a wider market.
Currently, she sells more than 50 paintings each month, with prices ranging from 175,000 VND to 2.2 million VND/ painting, earning about 20 million VND/month.
In the near future, she plans to expand her activities by trading in painting materials, combined with painting instructions for tourists, students and pupils to spread this model to the community.
As Secretary of the School Youth Union, Ms. Triet is also the person behind many activities to encourage students to start businesses. She advises on organizing exchange programs, startup innovation festivals, and connecting student ideas with businesses.
Not only stopping at theory, she also directly implements vocational training, creating additional jobs for students. Many students, after being instructed by her, have been able to make rice paintings at home and earn extra income.
Tran Anh Nguyet, a 12th grade student at the Center for Vocational Education - Continuing Education of O Mon district, shared: "Ms. Triet taught me how to make rice paintings in 4 sessions. After school, I go to her workplace or bring the paintings home to work. Each month, I earn about 1 million VND - helping me cover my studies and personal expenses".
Ms. Tran Thi Hien Triet's story is not only a successful entrepreneurial journey from skillful hands, but also a model of harmonious combination of education, creativity and community responsibility.
From seemingly simple rice grains, she has "breathed life" into paintings with artistic and cultural values, while nurturing passion, motivating the younger generation to dare to dream and commit to the path of entrepreneurship.
